Weight loss for women is a tricky, touchy subject that I don’t often discuss on my blog for a variety of reasons.

One is that there are dozens of different theories on the “best” way for women to lose weight, and the majority of those involve significant restriction, superhuman willpower, and motivation based on body dissatisfaction.

Another reason is that I am a strong advocate of the “health at every size” philosophy, and feel that the constant pressure for women to obtain and maintain the “ideal” physique (a standard that changes every decade) is not only a waste of time and energy, but also frequently something that makes women sick, neurotic, unhappy, and exhausted.

A third reason is that I too struggle with my weight for a variety of reasons – I most recently discovered that I have a hormonal imbalance likely due to the chronic stress of finishing a demanding graduate program combined with moving to a new city and starting a business straight out of school. (Let’s add “losing my old dog and getting a new puppy” into the stressful mix.)

While I don’t regret any of these choices, I’d be lying if I said I had a complete handle on the major changes my life has gone through in 2014, and the stress has been chipping away at my health for months now. I’ll probably write more about this later, but for now suffice it to say that despite my fairly “clean” diet, regular exercise routine, and decent sleep, I’ve been fighting with some frustrating weight that has creeped on, and will be working on my eating habits, stress management, and overall mindset in an effort to shed some of the unnecessary weight I gained over the past 3 years.

[Tweet “Even #Paleo dietitians struggle with their weight sometimes.”]

With my goal to revamp my overall lifestyle, Stefani Ruper’s Weight Loss Unlocked could not have come at a better time for me.

As a Paleo dietitian, I already know a lot about the various theories of weight loss, from both a diet and exercise perspective. I know that many Paleo experts recommend a low carb diet combined with high intensity interval training, while others recommend a higher carbohydrate intake to support thyroid and adrenal health. Still others recommend intermittent fasting or low intensity exercise. Some even suggest eating a low “food reward” diet. And nearly everyone can agree that sleep and stress management are just as important as diet and exercise when it comes to sustainable weight loss.

I’m sure many of you are fed up with the disagreement between the voices of the ancestral health and Paleo communities who waffle back and forth between which diet is best, what type of exercise you should do, whether diet or exercise is more important, and how much exercise is too much.

I think there are a few explanations for this disagreement, but ultimately it comes down to this: individual genetics combined with specific lifestyle factors affect how well you tolerate and thrive on certain diet and exercise routines.

This understanding that different diets (e.g. low carb vs. low fat) and exercise routines (high intensity vs. lower intensity) will produce different results depending on the individual is crucial, because what works for one person may not work for another for any number of reasons.

Another big issue that I see in the Paleo community is that many of the proposed diet and exercise strategies are far more appropriate for men than women, and yet women are expected to simply “Paleo harder” if they aren’t losing weight on these programs.

Fortunately, Weight Loss Unlocked addresses the ways that women must differ from men in their weight loss strategies. She also provides two radically different diet plans – both evidence based – which can be chosen based on personal preference, unique health parameters, and lifestyle factors.

Not only does Stefani provide a variety of diet and exercise recommendations for women to experiment with, but she also dives into other factors that significantly affect a woman’s ability to lose weight, including hormonal balance, thyroid health, birth control use, stress, and even mindset.

[Tweet “Weight loss for women is not a simple calculation of calories in and calories out.”]

Weight loss for women is not a simple calculation of calories in and calories out – this is something I see regularly with my clients.

By using the recommendations in Weight Loss Unlocked, I’m certain that whether you have 10 pounds to lose or 100 pounds to lose, the advice will resonate with you in some way, and it will help you make the evidence-based changes you need to make to move your weight in the right direction.

After reading the book myself, I even realized two major changes that I need to make. One, is that I need to eat more protein. The other is that I need to eat more vegetables. It’s crazy how even a Paleo dietitian can fall into the habit of poor diet decisions when stress and busyness get in the way!

I’m thankful for having read Weight Loss Unlocked, because it made this fact painfully obvious to me, and now I have two simple dietary changes that can help me get a handle on my weight frustrations – no calorie counting, intermittent fasting, or unnecessary food restrictions required.

Weight Loss Unlocked is more than just an eBook – it is a program that also contains quick start guides for both of the diet plans, a food label interpretation guide, a carbohydrate serving guide, and on-the-go tips and tricks.

The Weight Loss Unlocked package also contains a 10-step body image remix by Summer Innanen, one of my favorite body image experts who I frequently refer to when working on my own self-image and body confidence. I’ll be working through her ten steps this month as well, as I strongly believe that mindset plays an enormous role in health and weight loss, and I know this is something I still need to work on regularly.

I’m confident that Weight Loss Unlocked will kickstart your New Year’s resolutions and help you shed that excess weight you’ve been holding onto.

I know I’m excited to get started with the changes I’ll be making this year! What about you?

Access Weight Loss Unlocked Today!

Note: As an affiliate for Weight Loss Unlocked, I earn a commission if you buy the product using the links provided in this article. My promise to you is that I will not promote any product that I haven’t personally reviewed and approved. I only promote products I believe in, and I think Stefani’s program is a great value for the information it provides. Please feel free to ask me any questions about the product in the comments below, or email me at laura@ancestralizeme.com for more information.

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